Poppies
by everlovin
Summary: Sam and Jack have a bit of a fun jaunt in early Season 3 and come across some poppies.


Poppies

Disclaimer - Nope! Don't own anything but dvds

Pairings - Jack/Sam

Episodes - After Learning Curve (305), vague mentions of Holiday (217) and Legacy (304)

A/N - Given the love of Wizard of Oz, I'm surprised these sort of stories don't pop up more often.

General Hammond tried to remain stern during the briefing. Really, SG-1 was among the most professional of people, but it seemed that Colonel O'Neill had a touch of the whimsy today. Case in point was the colonel's current line of questions.

"This place sounds like a regular Emerald City. All my wishes will come true, right?"

"If you wish for naquadah, then indeed. There in not a city there - Emerald or otherwise," Teal'c returned.

"The Wizard of Oz, Teal'c. It's a movie?" Teal'c's eyes simply sparkled as he declined his head. "So when are we heading out for this jaunt?"

"You," Daniel emphasized, "will be going later this morning."

"You're abandoning me? For what?"

"I'm working on translating Machello's diary. There are probably more anti-gould traps out there. We need to either neutralize or utilize them."

Sam smiled at Teal'c and Jack. "So, just he three of us then."

"I regret I will not be joining you. I plan to meet Bra'tac and Rya'c. We continue to sow the seeds of rebellion among the ranks of the Jaffa."

"So, it's just Dorothy and Scarecrow on the Yellow Brick Road. Sweet!"

"Teal'c, you're sure that there are no gould on PR4-961?"

"The story is told among the Jaffa that several years ago, Ra became very ill. He took everyone with him and abandoned the planet. There were better resources for naquadah. Since then, all other goa'uld have been afraid. If Ra himself became sick, then there would be every possibility they would also sicken. O'Neill and Major Carter will be fine."

It was a great day. Any day without dealing with the snakeheads was a good day. What made it a great day was the fact that it was just he and Carter on their way to do a soil survey on a former gould mining planet. The mine was not far from the gate only about five miles or so. The only real obstacle was a river. Fortunately, there were Combat Engineers for that.

"So, Dorothy, if you could ask the Wizard for anything, what would it be? I mean, you've already got a brain, a heart, and the nerve."

"The means to defeat the goa'uld would be nice."

"Very nice," Jack grinned. "How about something a bit more personal? Dorothy wanted a way home."

"Sometimes, Sir, I think just having a home would be nice. I've always had a house. Someplace for my stuff. But ever since Mom died, there's not much home. You know what I mean?"

They rounded another corner on the path and everywhere they looked was flowers. "Am I seeing things, Carter? Poppies? Weren't we just talking about going to the Emerald City this morning?"

"I can't explain it, Sir. We seldom see any Earth type flora on other planets. At least not any this recognizable."

"It doesn't look like we have another choice. I can see the path on the far side of the field. Anything you want to say to these flowers?" Jack teased.

"Nothing comes to mind, Sir,"

They scarcely got more than a half mile through the field when Sam started feeling sleepy. "Sir, next time I decide to work late the night before we have to walk across the world, remind me not to."

"Everything alright, Carter?"

"Too little sleep and not enough caffeine?" Sam really hoped that excuse would work. "Really, Sir. I'll be okay. Let's just get to the mine site and get the samples so we can get home."

Another hundred yards and Sam was starting to stumble with fatigue. "That's it, Carter. We're getting you home."

"Sir, just let me sit down her and rest. I'll be up and going in fifteen."

"Not a second longer. We still need to you home." Only it didn't happen that way. Five minutes later, Sam started dozing off. "Carter! Carter! Com'on! You need to get up now." She wasn't responding to his worried tone. He tried patting her face, nudging her arm. Nothing was working. "Carter!" Jack barked.

She merely slouched deeper against the her pack and her breathing evened out. "That's it. You get to requisition the new equipment. We're so out of here." He knelt down and settled her in a fireman's carry and trudged off toward the gate..

Jack kept up a steady stream of dialogue on the trip back.

"Ya know, Carter, I'd hate to be you with all of those tests Doc Fraiser is going to run on you."

And after another mile or so it was, "Carter, you knows my knees aren't what they used to be."

And as the gate came into view, "You know, Glinda the good witch just made it snow to wake Dorothy."

At the dhd Jack grumbled, "You'd think after me carrying you for three and a half miles like this, you would've woken up by now."

Up in the Infirmary, Janet quizzed Jack about what happened. Over and over Jack told what happened, and Janet could come up with nothing to explain Sam's continued sleeping.

Daniel came in to check on Sam. And, after he heard the story, raced back to his office without a word. "I guess I should see what he has in mind," Jack drawled.

"So, Daniel," Jack asked.

"What happened to you on 961 got me to thinking. Why Sam and not you? There are only two obvious differences that I can think of. Your gender and Jolinar. Given that Ra abandoned the planet due to an unexplained illness, I'm guessing that it has more to do with Jolinar than your Y chromosome."

"Makes sense. But why run off here?" Jack gestured to the office.

"Parts of it sounded familiar. I've been trying to translate Machello's notebook for the better part of a year. I've finally started to make progress in the last month or so. Anyhoo, there's a mention of sleeping sickness on some of the pages."

"That sounds familiar. Can you make any guesses what to counter this with?"

"That's what I'm working on. I'll let Janet know as soon as I've come up with something."

It wasn't until early the next morning that Daniel came into the infirmary like a whirlwind. "I might have it, guys. This was one of Machello's experiments. And obviously it worked because Ra abandoned 961. But unlike his other experiments so far, he gave a bit thought to innocents who came across his traps."

"I think Machello somehow found out about the Protected Planets and put the an antidote on Cimmeria. I think by that time, he'd met up with some people who had been freed from the gould. We just need to get Sam to it."

"I won't allow it without my going along as well to ensure Major Carter's health," Janet stated.

"Oh, I agree. In fact, I'm pretty sure we'll need your expertise. The translation I have says that we'll need to make a poultice from the poppies that grow above a certain spring near Thor's Hammer. I'm guessing the exit and not the entrance."

"Okay, I'll go up to Hammond and get the go ahead for the mission. Doc, get everything you're going to need together. We'll probably be leaving within the hour."

Gairwyn was fortunately able to confirm there were indeed poppy-like flowers growing in a field near the Hammer. Janet and Jack stayed with Sam in the village with Sam. Daniel and Gairwyn made their way into the mountains. The trek to the spring was long and arduous. Sam had still shown no signs of improvement and everyone was worried.

Back in the village, Jack hovered. It was so unusual for his major to be so still. She was generally in motion with her fingers flying across a computer or some bit of alien doohicky or other. She smiled. He missed the smiles she sent his way. Jack could only hope the Daniel was correct about his translations.

After what seemed like forever Daniel and Gairwyn were back to Gairwyn's home. They managed to collect several bags of the poppies. "Hope this is enough. I've never made a poultice before," Daniel worried.

"As I have said before, Friend Daniel, I have made many for when my husband fought battles against rival clans. This will be enough to make several poultices."

"A good thing for that. We'll need to change them every few hours," Janet averred.

Gairwyn got to work boiling water for the poultice as Jack and Daniel got towels ready to make the poultice.

"Gentlemen, if you would excuse us?" Janet ushered them out of the bedroom. "I'll let you know when we need more water or if something changes."

And so it went though the night. Janet and Gairwyn tended Sam. Jack and Daniel tended the fire. Everybody waited. Finally, with the dawn, Sam woke up very confused. "Janet? What's going on?"

"You had a run-in with Machello. This time you were the only one affected. It looks like everything is getting better now." Janet reached down and counted her pulse and respirations.

After a quick evaluation of her vitals, Janet stepped into the other room with a smile. "She's a bit groggy and confused, but she's awake. If you want to come in, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you both."

"Daniel, Sir, what's going on? The last thing I remember is being on 961 in a field of poppies."

"Well, Dorothy, it seems that playing the part of the Wicked Witch of the West is Machello. Yours truly played Scarecrow and carried you to safety. Daniel played the Wizard. Which of course makes sense, since he was the traveling professor. Janet and Gairwyn here played the parts of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North."

"That was clear as mud, si,." Sam mumbled.

"We'll tell you later, Carter. Just know it's good to have you back."

A/N 2 - My second Sam/Jack! Who would have thought! Hope you all enjoyed it, and remember. Reviews taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream on a hot sunny day!


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